Feeling the pinch? During these difficult financial times, when we are in the midst of searching for solutions, it's often easy to overlook what is right in front of us.
For many of us dedicated yoga practitioners, the cost of a class may be inhibiting us from continuing with our regular yoga practice. And for those who have just started yoga or are hoping to do so, it must be discouraging to not be able to afford the price of a class at one of the neighborhood studios.
While this is a dilemma for both the studio owner and the student, it's heartening to see how many individuals have risen to the challenge.
Ever since we started contacting various yoga studios to find out how they are managing to maintain a presence in their community, we've been encouraged by what we have been hearing. What we've found out is that, even prior to this economic crunch, several studios had already initiated free or discounted opportunities for their yoga community. It wasn't so much the recent tightening of practitioners' wallets that prompted the studios to start these programs, but rather it was a way for them to provide students with their yoga practice at an affordable price.
Yoga House in Pasadena, California, is a great example of this community spirit. When we recently posed the question to them about how their studio was managing in the current strained economic times, the conversation ventured quickly into the positive action that they've been taking for quite a while. As one of the staff at Yoga House explained, it's not about what they can't do, but rather what they have been doing all along. Yoga House has been providing community classes at least five times a week for beginning to intermediate levels, offered at half the price ($8) of a regular class. In addition, they are offering senior and student discounts, as well as free first-time classes for local residents. By taking this generous and caring approach, Yoga House is keeping their studios accessible for all interested students.
Many other yoga studios are also showing their community spirit and ensuring that yoga enthusiasts can continue with their practice. YogaWorks, one of the nation's most respected yoga centers located in California and New York, continues their amazing offer of unlimited yoga for two weeks at the reasonable price of only $30. And Yoga at the Village in Glendale is offering an "Economy Crunch Special", where yoga enthusiasts can have bonus classes added to their regular class series or membership.
So if you are wondering whether you can afford to start yoga or continue an ongoing practice, don't hesitate to talk to your local studio about community classes or look around for specials at other studios. As the saying goes, "Where there's a will, there's a way."
Here at YogaHub, we would like to welcome and introduce you to our current and new team members Madoka, Derek, Elbert, Jared, Segovia, Jane and Angie, who have begun to write on our "Team Blog." You'll also notice an entry blog in this newsletter by Francesca, another fresh face and contributing writer of our YogaHub Blog.
Each member is very new to the world of Yoga. So if you have any encouraging words of wisdom please take a moment to comment on their blogs as this is truly a new journey in their participation of yoga classes and blogging about them.
These individuals have all worked hard at putting YogaHub together. Their thoughts express a greater appreciation for the vast potential of yoga and further realization of why we build this site to support the Yoga Communities. We want to continue encouraging them to write about their individual experiences with other beginners and teachers alike.
And we encourage you, too, to explore your own practice by starting to blog about it in our social networking site, MyYogaHub.com. There's something magical that happens when you write about your daily experiences and share them for the world to see.
Updates from the Blog:
Step Three: Leaving Competition Outside the Doorby John Sovec
In Steps One and Two of my series on safety tips for people who plan to take up yoga, I suggested that you check with your doctor first, and then assess your personal fitness level. Continue Reading...
Podcasts: A Portable Yoga Alternative by Segovia Smith
I've been doing a lot more traveling in the past few months and find myself often out of my natural settings. At first, I told myself a variety of different excuses as to why it was inconvenient to keep up my regular yoga practice. Things like; "it's too cold to go outside", "I'm too busy to find a local studio", "I don't have my mat with me" and probably the most absurd "there's not enough floor space in my present surroundings". Come on, please! Continue Reading...
Spread the Love - Referral Rewards
Special care goes into the preparation of each weekly Yoga Newsletter. We invite you to help us spread the word by sharing this message with others. Once a month, we will select an individual to receive a special gift as a token of our appreciation for passing it on. Pay-It-Forward and Win »
In Steps One and Two of my series on safety tips for people who plan to take up yoga, I suggested that you check with your doctor first, and then assess your personal fitness level. 
I've been doing a lot more traveling in the past few months and find myself often out of my natural settings. At first, I told myself a variety of different excuses as to why it was inconvenient to keep up my regular yoga practice. Things like; "it's too cold to go outside", "I'm too busy to find a local studio", "I don't have my mat with me" and probably the most absurd "there's not enough floor space in my present surroundings". Come on, please! 
